Japan 2026: getting there, regions, Shinkansen, best time to travel and new taxes

Japan suits you if you want to combine big city, temples and castles and like travelling long distances by train. UNESCO lists 27 World Heritage Sites in the country (as of September 2026). Between Tokyo and Osaka the Shinkansen takes about two and a half hours.

What is new in 2026 is above all levies. On 1 March Kyoto raised the maximum rate of its tourist tax from 1,000 to 10,000 yen, and since 1 July the departure tax has been 3,000 yen. From 1 November a refund procedure applies to tax-free shopping. Newly on the World Heritage List are the ancient capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara in Nara Prefecture.

Japan suits you less if you avoid heat or have to make firm plans in late summer. In August Tokyo reaches a mean daily high of 31.3 °C. In August and September an average of 3.3 typhoons each also approach the country (Japan Meteorological Agency, 1991–2020).

Getting there from Germany

At the 22 main German airports, a total of 865,588 passengers boarded in 2025 with a last known destination of Japan, ranking 26th among 211 destination countries (Federal Statistical Office, own analysis, excluding passengers changing planes abroad). Most flew to Tokyo Haneda (518,825), then to Tokyo Narita (174,246) and Osaka Kansai (122,851). They departed mainly from Frankfurt (446,322) and Munich (273,766), followed at a distance by Berlin (47,279) and Düsseldorf (40,574).

Tokyo Haneda: Keikyu and monorail

The Keikyu line and Tokyo Monorail stop right at the airport (as of September 2026). According to the fare page, Keikyu takes eleven minutes to Shinagawa from Terminal 3 and fourteen from Terminal 1·2. According to the operator, there are on average five minutes between two monorail trains to Hamamatsucho.

Only Haneda passengers can get a combined ticket online in advance: Keikyu to Sengakuji and back plus 72 hours of Tokyo Metro and Toei for 2,600 yen (adults, as of September 2026).

Tokyo Narita: Skyliner in 41 minutes

Terminal 1 has its own station, “Narita Airport”, five minutes away on foot. Terminals 2 and 3 share the station “Narita Airport Terminal 2·3” (five and ten minutes on foot respectively). For Ueno–Terminal 2·3 the Keisei Skyliner takes 41 minutes, according to the operator. From Keisei-Ueno or Nippori adults pay a fare of 1,280 yen plus a surcharge of 1,300 yen, together 2,580 yen (own calculation, as of September 2026).

The Skyliner ticket with seat reservation is available from one month before the journey. If you do not buy it beforehand, adults pay 300 yen more in surcharge.

Osaka Kansai: rapi:t to Namba

From Kansai Airport to Namba the Nankai rapi:t train takes at least 34 minutes (as of September 2026). The “Rapi:t Digital Ticket” (fare plus surcharge, regular seat) costs adults 1,410 yen. Bought on the train, the surcharge is 300 yen more expensive, and the same applies to children. JNTO reckons about an hour and a half to Kyoto from Kansai and about one hour from Osaka Itami.

Return flight: departure tax and tax refund

Since 1 July 2026 a departure tax of 3,000 yen per departure has been levied with the ticket; children under 2 years pay nothing.

Regions and destinations at a glance

Kyoto and Nara

Smoking in the street in central Kyoto costs a fine, according to JNTO, unless you are standing at a smoking area. This applies, for example, around the station, in Gion and at Kiyomizu. In Nara's park live around 1,000 tame deer. The Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji costs adults 800 yen (as of September 2026). It opens from April to October 7:30 to 17:30, from November to March 8:00 to 17:00.

Osaka and Himeji

From Osaka, Namba and Tennoji stations you sit on the train for about an hour each to Kobe, Kyoto, Nara or Wakayama, according to JNTO. Himeji Castle costs 2,500 yen from the age of 18 and is open from 9:00 to 17:00, with admission until 16:00 (as of September 2026). In the castle you have to manage without a lift, escalator and air conditioning. Outdoor shoes are forbidden in the main keep, so shoe bags and thick socks belong in your luggage.

Hiroshima and Miyajima

The Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima costs adults 200 yen. The museum advises buying a web ticket in advance, because things can take a while at the day box office. When it is very crowded, admission is temporarily throttled. To Miyajima it is about 30 minutes from Hiroshima by JR to Miyajimaguchi and then around 10 minutes by ferry. With the ferry fare you also pay 100 yen visitor tax since 1 October 2023; Itsukushima Shrine costs 300 yen (as of September 2026).

Mount Fuji

On Mount Fuji the ascent routes were open in 2026, depending on the route, from 1 or 10 July to 10 September. A hiking fee of 4,000 yen and registration are mandatory, possible in advance in the web system. Between 14:00 and 3:00 only those who are staying overnight in a hut may climb. For huts and toilets the official site suggests cash and 100-yen coins.

Best time to travel

The values are means for 1991–2020 from the Japan Meteorological Agency, measured in Tokyo (25.2 m) and in Naha on Okinawa (28.1 m). The rainy season lasts on average around Tokyo and in Kansai from early June until about 19 July, and on Okinawa from 10 May to 21 June.

In the north it gets cold: in Sapporo the mean daily high in January is −0.4 °C, and on average 137 cm of fresh snow falls in January.

Getting around the country

Train and bus

Between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka the “Nozomi” Shinkansen takes about 2 hours 30 minutes. One way with a reserved seat, adults pay 14,720 yen in the standard season (as of September 2026). Until March 2027 the reserved seat costs 200 or 400 yen more on busy travel days and 200 yen less on quiet ones.

On eight peak periods a year, all “Nozomi” trains run with reserved seats only. In 2026 this still concerns 10 to 12 October, 21 to 23 November and the period from 25 December to 5 January.

The Japan Rail Pass costs 50,000 yen for 7 days online in standard class, and 53,000 yen via travel agencies abroad from 1 October 2026 (as of September 2026). “Nozomi” and “Mizuho” can be used with the pass only with an additional special ticket.

Long-distance coaches run by day and by night, according to JNTO.

Domestic flights

For Tokyo–Sapporo the plane saves a lot of time: about 90 minutes to New Chitose instead of about eight hours by train. You reach Okinawa via Naha, usually on a flight from Tokyo or Osaka. A monorail links Naha airport to the city and to Shuri (as of September 2026).

Car and roads

In Japan people drive on the left. Without a sign, the limit for cars is 100 km/h on the motorway and 60 km/h elsewhere (as of September 2026). A German driving licence is valid only with a Japanese translation, for example from the automobile club JAF, and for a maximum of one year from entry. As an example of tolls JNTO gives about 10,070 yen for Tokyo–Kyoto, depending on the route. According to JNTO you should not drive into snow areas without winter tyres or chains.

Money and costs

Payment is in yen. You can withdraw money at more than 26,000 post office ATMs, also with a credit card or Maestro. You need cash in smaller shops, remote ryokan and some taxis, for example. Credit cards are usually no problem in shops and restaurants, according to JNTO, and Visa, Mastercard and American Express are mentioned (as of September 2026).

Tourist taxes in Kyoto and Tokyo

Since 1 March 2026 the following rates apply in Kyoto per person and night, graded by the accommodation price excluding meals and consumption tax:

• under 6,000 yen: 200 yen
• 6,000 to 19,999 yen: 400 yen
• 20,000 to 49,999 yen: 1,000 yen
• 50,000 to 99,999 yen: 4,000 yen
• from 100,000 yen: 10,000 yen

In Tokyo the price per person and night counts: below 10,000 yen nothing is due, up to 14,999 yen it is 100 yen, from 15,000 yen 200 yen (as of September 2026). From 1 April 2027 Tokyo switches to 3%, due from 13,000 yen.

Practical information

Japan is at UTC plus 9 hours and knew daylight saving time only from 1948 to 1951. In the German winter it is therefore 8 hours later there, and during German summer time 7 (own calculation, as of September 2026). Emergency number: 119 for fire brigade and ambulance, 110 for the police. The Japan Visitor Hotline of JNTO helps around the clock on 050-3816-2787 in English, Chinese and Korean.

According to JNTO, the mains supply is 100 volts nationwide, at 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west (as of September 2026). Plugs from Germany fit only with a travel adapter, according to ADAC. The EU rule “Roam like at home” does not apply in Japan. Golden Week 2027 includes the public holidays on 29 April and from 3 to 5 May.

What applies to entry, safety and health is currently set out by the German Foreign Office.

Who Japan is not for

• Anyone who does not cope well with heat: Tokyo reaches a mean daily high of 29.9 °C in July and 31.3 °C in August.
• Anyone who has to make firm plans in late summer: in August and September an average of 3.3 typhoons each approach Japan.
• Anyone who wants dry weather in early summer: the rainy season lasts on average until about 19 July around Tokyo and in Kansai.
• Anyone who wants to pay by card only: some shops, ryokan and taxis take only cash.
• Anyone on a tight budget: Kyoto charges up to 10,000 yen tourist tax per person and night, and leaving the country costs 3,000 yen.
• Anyone who wants to take the Shinkansen spontaneously in holiday periods: at eight peak periods a year all “Nozomi” trains run with reservations only.